Abdul Qadir Khan (Urdu: ??? ?????? ????, born 15 September 1955 in Lahore) is a former Pakistani international cricketer whose main role was as a leg spin bowler.[1] Later he was a commentator and Chief Selector of the Pakistan Cricket Board, from which post he resigned because of differences with the top brass of Pakistan cricket. Qadir appeared in 67 Test and 104 One Day International (ODI) matches between 1977 and 1993, and captained the Pakistan cricket team in five ODIs. In Test cricket, his best performance for series was 30 wickets for 437 runs, against England in 1987. His best bowling figures for an innings were nine wickets for 56 against the same team at the Gaddafi Stadium. In ODIs, his best bowling figures were five wickets for 44 runs against Sri Lanka during the 1983 Cricket World Cup. He was a member of Pakistani team in the 1983 and 1987 Cricket World Cups. Yahoo! Cricket described Qadir as "a master of the leg-spin" who "mastered the googlies, the flippers, the leg-breaks and the topspins."[2] He is widely regarded as a top spin bowler of his generation and was included in Richie Benaud's Greatest XI shortlist of imaginary cricket team from the best players available from all countries and eras. Former English captain Graham Gooch said that "Qadir was even finer than Shane Warne".[1]Contents [hide] 1 First class career2 International career2.1 Test career2.2 One Day International career3 Captaincy4 As chief selector5 Controversy6 Personal life7 Awards8 See also9 Notes10 References11 External linksFirst class career[edit]Qadir played first-class cricket for Lahore, Punjab and Habib Bank Limited cricket teams during 197595. During his first-class career, he achieved five or more wickets in an innings on seventy-five occasions, and ten or more wickets in a match twenty-one times. He also scored two centuries and eight half centuries in first-class cricket.[1]Qadir made his debut for Habib Bank against United Bank Limited at the National Stadium during the 197576 season. He took seven wickets in the match conceding 93 runs, including six wickets for 67 runs in the first innings.[3] Playing for Lahore C, he took six for 17 against Bahawalpur, his best bowling figures of the season.[4][5]Qadir played 209 first class matches and took 960 wickets with an average of 23.24. His best bowling figures for an innings were nine wickets for 56 runs, whereas his best performance for a match was 13 wickets for 101 runs. As a batsman, he scored 3,740 runs averaged 18.33 from 247 innings. He also scored two centuries and eight fifties. Qadir's highest score in the format was 112 runs. In November 1989, in a warm up match played before the first Test at the National Stadium, 16 years old Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar hit four consecutive sixes over Qadir. Later on the same day, Qadir predicted that Tendulkar would become one of the greatest batsmen.[6] Qadir played his last first class in 1994.[1]International career[edit]Test career[edit]A panoramic view of a cricket groundQadir made his international debut at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore, in 1977, and took nine wickets for 56 runs against England there in 1987.Natural talent combined with aggression and passion made Qadir one of the most successful spinners of his era. He had a distinct run-up, bounding in to the crease, and a great variety of deliveries: there was the orthodox leg-break, the topspinner, two googlies and the flipper. He was unique for bowling leg spin at a time when it was not only rare but considered obsolete, and he kept the torch alight for a generation of leg spinners. His fervent appeals made him a great favourite with the spectators but sometimes got him into trouble with umpires.[7] Qadir played 67 Test matches during 197790 and took 236 wickets, with an average of 32.80, including 15 five-wicket hauls. His best bowling performance was against England at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore in 1987. He also scored 1,029 runs including three fifties.[1]Qadir made his Test debut at his home ground, Gaddafi Stadium, against England in December 1977; he took one wicket in the solitary innings and made 11 runs in the only in